What is Budist?

Budist is the industry’s first social review platform for the cannabis industry, empowering both consumers and professional critics to rate cannabis products using a 100-point system. The app also features editorial content that celebrates the brands, producers and regions that define our cannabis culture and heritage.

How does Budist benefit my Brand?

Budist enables brands to connect directly with some of the most outspoken and enthusiastic cannabis consumers—to tell your story, highlight your product benefits & features, and build customer loyalty. The platform also allows you to gain valuable consumer feedback and insights, helping you to improve your products and better serve your customers. 

How do I get my Brand on Budist?

Budist is an inclusive community that welcomes any cannabis brand in the regulated cannabis market, starting in California with plans to expand to other US states in the coming months. Our team is quickly adding new brands each day, so if your brand is not yet listed then complete this form and we will notify you when your Brand page is created. 

How do I manage my Brand page on Budist?

Once your brand page is created on the Budist app, you can request admin access to your page, which allows you to edit your brand and product details. First you must download the Budist app and create your personal Profile page, and then we will be able to connect your profile to your brand page. Once you complete this process, email brands@budist.com to activate your admin access. 

How do I get my Products on Budist?

Brands are encouraged to add their products to Budist by completing our Product Request Form (soon you will be able to add products directly through your brand page). Once your product page(s) is created on the app, we will reach out to request samples for our team of critics (aka “Budists'') to review.

Note that consumers can also request to add products that they purchase through licensed retail stores. Once products are added to the app, any consumer (or Budist) can write a review directly through the app provided that they attest to consuming the product first-hand.

How do I submit Product Samples for Budist review?

Once you complete our Product Request Form, we will reach out to request product samples. Products must be in their original packaging and should be as fresh as possible to ensure that our Budists get the best representation of the product for review. It also ensures that our community of consumers will have ample time to purchase your product on the market.

Typically, brands provide 2 to 3 samples each of their top 3-5 products per category. We encourage more than 1 sample so that multiple Budists can review the same product, which gives you a diversity of perspectives. Samples can be transferred to Budist in whichever manner is most suitable for you, provided that it is compliant with state cannabis laws. As we expand our team of Budists, we will work with you to obtain samples of additional products that you release to market each season. 

How long does it take for Budists to review my Products?

Once we receive your samples, we will allocate them to the most appropriate Budists based on their area of expertise. The turnaround time to post each review depends on each Budist’s workload, but the average time is 2-4 weeks. 

How do you determine which Budists review my Products?

We have assembled a diverse group of Budists that are assigned to one or more categories based on their preferred method of consumption, qualifications, and area of expertise. We will ensure that your samples are allocated to the Budists who are best suited to review your products, always ensuring that their reviews are fair, honest, and based on our standardized assessment guidelines.

How are products rated on Budist?

All products on Budist are reviewed on a 100-point scale. This scale is on par with the internationally recognized rating systems utilized by many consumer goods industries, including wine, beer and coffee.  

This system is more reliable than the 5-star rating system because it allows for a more nuanced evaluation of a product’s qualitative characteristics. Ratings are used to give consumers a quick and easy reference for determining a product’s quality.

96-100	Best in Class: a top 5 cannabis product in its category
90-95	Outstanding: a cannabis product of superior character and style
85-89	Very Good: a high quality cannabis product with notable benefits
80-84	Good: a solid quality cannabis product that just hits the mark
75-79	Average: a decent quality cannabis product with minor flaws
70-74	Below Average: a low quality cannabis product with many flaws

 

How are ratings compiled for my Products on Budist?

Each product page has two rating components - a Budist Rating and a Community Rating. When multiple Budists or Community Members review the same product, the aggregated score for each of these groups is displayed on your product page. Your Budist Rating appears in Gold, whereas the Community Rating appears in Green. 

Can I review my own Products on Budist?

Our Budist Community Guidelines specify that reviewers must not “post content that is motivated by a financial or commercial interest” and as a result, you should not review products that are manufactured by you or your employer.  

Additionally, if you choose to write reviews of products that compete with your brand, then you must ensure that your review is unbiased, objective and based on your personal experience.

Budist is dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards and strictly prohibits any reviews that are not fair, honest and objective. We reserve the right to remove any review or user that violates our Community Guidelines. 

How do I report an inappropriate review?

If you believe that one of your product reviews is written in a manner that is unfair, inaccurate or fraudulent, then we encourage you to notify us immediately via the ‘Report’ feature in the app, which you can find under the three vertical dots menu to the top right of each review. Each Report will be reviewed within 10 business days, and we will notify you via email of the resolution. 

Can I delete a Product on Budist?

Products cannot be deleted unless they are duplicates, fraudulent or inaccurate. If this is the case, please notify us immediately using the ‘Send us Feedback’ link in your profile settings or emailing us at brands@budist.com.